Stomach post c section

[Mirenda]

I'm nearly four weeks post c section and stomach has gone down plus wound is healing well but I have quite bad overhang still. I was a size 8/10 before pregnancy and always been quite slim so not sure if it will simply take several more months for swelling to go down and more healing or if I should expect a bit of a pouch/ overhang from now on.

How long did you stomach take to shrink back and did you get a pouch post-section? I'm thinking four weeks isn't that long still but also slightly worried my tummy won't go down much more.

Congratulations! It takes about a year for you to fully heal inside and out from major surgery like a c section so I really wouldn't worry yet! With my first I lost my baby weight after about a year and had no pouch or overhang at all. As you were slim before I'd say it's likely you will go back the same as your skin will only have been stretched for a short time from your pregnancy, however it can depend on how tight the surgeon stitched you up. With my second, I've got more of an overhang now, albeit still small - but still got a stone to come off, so am hoping it will be minimal. But honestly don't worry about it now! Xxxx

Congratulations :) at 4 weeks my stomach was still quite swollen and was in quite a bit of pain still, by around 9 weeks it had gone down a lot and by 12 weeks just about back to previous size and no pouch, just not as toned as before. I got given some safe post partum/ c-section exercises by the hospital which I did everyday so maybe that helped. Give yourself time, there is a lot of healing to do, my core was completely shattered and am gradually getting it back to strength.

You would expect a swollen stomach that may look like an ‘overhang’ after only 4 weeks post section. My stomach was quite swollen for a few weeks and then it went flat again about 3
months later. 9 months on its totally flat and you wouldn’t know I’d had a baby unless you look really hard for the bikini line scar.

So grateful to the female surgeon who took so much care stitching me up.

I’m over 5 years post section and my overhang is insane. I look like a big fat hairy man with a sagging beer belly and I know it’ll never get better.

However, I had twins and was absolutely huge when I delivered them. I’m virtually obese, didn’t have a flat stomach before kids either, and even when I lost a load of weight I still had the paunch.

The DTs were around 6 weeks old when I finally got out of maternity trousers into jeans with a normal waistband albeit a size up from my pre pregnancy size.

Your uterus takes 6 weeks to get back to its normal size. If it’s extra weight gain then as with any weight loss that’s more what you’re eating and how active you’re being but you should wait 12 weeks before starting any high impact exercise so totally normal not to have lost it at only 4 weeks PP. The c section shelf if you have one is usually caused by excess scar tissue along where you were stitched and avoiding it is a combination of surgical skill and good luck. Sometimes after pregnancy you can also get diastis recti (seperated stomach muscles). Once you’re 6 weeks post you can google how to check for this and if you think you might have it then look into seeing a women’s physio.

Thanks everyone, I hope it will go down further as still looks awful today. I don't want to fixate too much as I know I'm so lucky to have baby but it does make me quite upset when I see it as looks quite deformed

I had a big overhang at 4 weeks and was generally quite swollen still. Very tender.

No overhang recently (2.5 years on). Think it went around the 3/4 month mark but I'm not exactly sure as it kind of went gradually as the swelling went. I had a massive twin bump, so don't know if that affects the time.

Some people do have an overhang afterwards, but I think even in those circumstances it's not obvious when you're dressed because it's so low down that you'd have to be wearing something tight like a swimming costume for it to show.

I’m a size 8 and had a sticky out tummy for at least 6 weeks and then not myself for 6 months. At 6 months, I had the flattest stomach I’ve ever had! I credit breastfeeding. I weighed less than pre pregnancy and was the most toned (had some gym sessions). At 1 year post birth you couldn’t tell id had a baby or c section.